1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a failure detection and storage apparatus and more particularly to a failure detection and storage apparatus having an impact detection function to be applied to the recognition of a failure of a camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
A precision device, for example, a camera is sometimes broken by being dropped or hit against something during the handling thereof. This may occur without being noticed by a user. Even if the user notices, it is difficult for the user to determine how a failure (or fault) of the camera occurs. If the user can localize a broken part of the camera, the user further can prepare and use an alternative one. It is, however, difficult for the user to accurately know the particular failure conditions of the camera. Further, inconveniently, after taking a picture, it is difficult to determine whether it is the failure or fault of the camera itself or an erroneous operation thereof which is the cause of the poor picture quality.
Even in the case that the camera appears to operate normally when actually manipulated, a part thereof such as a lens, from the appearance of which the trouble cannot be well checked, may break down. If the user takes a picture without identifying the broken-down part thereof, a poor-quality picture is produced.
In view of such circumstances, in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-209727, the applicant of the present application has proposed technical means for alerting a user to the fact that an impact is made on the camera. Namely, this technical means is adapted to detect an impact made on the main body of the camera by placing members, in which breakage or cracks occur when receiving an impact, at the corners thereof.
Although the technical means proposed in this Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-209727 is very useful, it is difficult to determine the time at which the failure occurs in the camera.
Meanwhile, previously, the following camera has been disclosed in, for instance, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-194727. Namely, this camera is adapted to perform operations, such as (1) the opening of a power supply switch, (2) the closing of a lens barrier, (3) the collapsing of a lens barrel, (4) the locking of a back cover, (5) the rewinding of film and (6) the storing of the number of frames, upon making an impact on the main body thereof, so that each of the parts thereof is prevented from being damaged.
Further, there has been known another camera of such a type that is further provided with a recovery switch and has a self-checking function of moving a movable part thereof only when this switch is operated. By the self-checking, this camera can know whether or not the destruction of a component, which results in a failure of the camera, occurs. Consequently, a user of this camera can be prevented from wastefully continuing to perform operations for taking pictures.
However, in the case of such a camera, as a result of performing a manual operation of the recovery switch, it takes much time to perform a sequence of checking operations from the opening/closing of a shutter to the rewinding of film. Moreover, if the opening of the shutter is performed when the film is loaded into the camera, (one frame of) the film is exposed to light. At that time, if (this frame of) the film has not been exposed yet, only this single frame is wasted. In contrast, if this frame has already been used for taking a picture, there may be caused a trouble that the picture taken in this frame is erased or wasted.
To obviate such a trouble, in the case of using the conventional camera, the exposure of the film to light is prevented by first performing the rewinding of the film after the detection of an impact, and further performing the opening/closing the shutter upon completion of the rewinding of the film. However, even when performing this method, if an impact is detected at a moment corresponding to a frame which is close to the last frame of the film, it takes much time to rewind the part, which has already been advanced theretofore, of the film. Moreover, after it is determined at the time of driving the shutter that there is no abnormality, it similarly takes much time to advance the film again to a frame on which a picture is taken.
As above described, the conventional camera has a drawback in that when using the conventional camera, it takes too much time to perform a self-checking operation after an impact is detected.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-175185 discloses the related art for storing the maximum value of detected impacts, for displaying the stored maximum impact value and for warning a user.
Further, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-175185 discloses the related art for photographing and storing the driving state of a vehicle at all times by using an on-vehicle camera and for stopping the vehicle when the acceleration thereof exceeds a predetermined value.
Moreover, the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 47-31614 discloses the related art for automatically photographing the state of a vehicle by using an on-vehicle camera at a moment when the front portion of the vehicle collides with something.
Furthermore, in the Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 7-26837, there has been proposed the related art for absorbing an impact made on the main body of camera by placing elastic members at the corners thereof.